Elections supervisor ready for voter roll purge of noncitizens

Mark Andersen

By MATTHEW BEATON | The News Herald

Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 05:56 PM.

PANAMA CITY— Though Gov. Rick Scott’s purge of noncitizens from Florida’s voter rolls has yet to begin, the Bay County Supervisor of Elections office should be ready to implement it, as it’s already working closely with the state to keep felons and other ineligible voters off the local rolls.

Elections Supervisor Mark Andersen said people shouldn’t view the removal of ineligible voters from the rolls as a “purge;” it’s about maintaining accuracy.

“It’s really list maintenance; it’s not a purge,” he said Friday.

The process is not an immediate removal, either. Notices are sent out via certified mail, and if they’re returned undeliverable or the voter doesn’t respond at all, the local elections office runs a notice in the paper.

The letter notifies the voter he or she has 30 days to act after receiving the notice and that inaction may “result in a determination of ineligibility and removal of your name from the Florida Voter Registration System.”

In 2012, the supervisor’s office mailed out 431 notices of possible ineligibility, but those only generated one administrative hearing. These hearings allow voters to make the case for their eligibility.

In 2012, 26 noncitizens were removed from the rolls, and 292 felons who had not had their rights restored also were purged.

PANAMA CITY— Though Gov. Rick Scott’s purge of noncitizens from Florida’s voter rolls has yet to begin, the Bay County Supervisor of Elections office should be ready to implement it, as it’s already working closely with the state to keep felons and other ineligible voters off the local rolls.

Elections Supervisor Mark Andersen said people shouldn’t view the removal of ineligible voters from the rolls as a “purge;” it’s about maintaining accuracy.

“It’s really list maintenance; it’s not a purge,” he said Friday.

The process is not an immediate removal, either. Notices are sent out via certified mail, and if they’re returned undeliverable or the voter doesn’t respond at all, the local elections office runs a notice in the paper.

The letter notifies the voter he or she has 30 days to act after receiving the notice and that inaction may “result in a determination of ineligibility and removal of your name from the Florida Voter Registration System.”

In 2012, the supervisor’s office mailed out 431 notices of possible ineligibility, but those only generated one administrative hearing. These hearings allow voters to make the case for their eligibility.

In 2012, 26 noncitizens were removed from the rolls, and 292 felons who had not had their rights restored also were purged.

As of June 30 of this year, no noncitizens had been removed but 231 felons’ names had been purged, according to the supervisor’s records.

Andersen said he works very hard to give as much notice as possible for these voters and tries to give them every chance to plead their case.

“No supervisor wants to remove someone that needs to be on the rolls, but, in turn, we don’t want someone on the rolls that shouldn’t be there either,” he said.

When the state conducted its noncitizen voter purge in 2012, it had one big list of names and all the counties, including Bay, each got their respective pieces, said Lori Edwards, president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections. This go-round it’s unclear whether it will come out as one big list or several different parts.

“My hope is these names will be more thoroughly investigated,” said Edwards, who is Polk County’s elections supervisor.

Both Andersen and Edwardspraised the state elections division’s performance in identifying felons. Edwardshopes the amount of thoroughness and documentation used for felons will be used for noncitizens this time.

“Right now all the attention and, if you will, controversy relates only to the purging of noncitizens. There really is no controversy or attention for felon removal,” she said.

Edwards said her group has not taken a position on the voter purge.

The League of Women Voters of Florida is active in registering voters and speaking out on their behalf, but it doesn’t have a problem with restarting the noncitizen purge, if it meets certain criteria.

The group wants voters to have a chance for due process, an assurance the sources of information are accurate and a guarantee it will be transparent, said Deirdre MacNab, president of the League. None of those factors were met in the last purge, she said. And Scott was accused of discrimination against minority voters and a lawsuit was filed that eventually ended the purge.

MacNab pointed out the rolls are being scrubbed throughout the year as felons and other ineligible voters are removed. Deceased, mentally incapacitated, underage, fictitious names and incorrectly listed residences all merit removal as well.

If the group’s criteria is met for the noncitizen purge, “we would be satisfied that this was done for the purpose of assisting the supervisors and not attempting to make it more difficult for eligible voters to cast their vote,” she said.